I  II      I  III         I 


THE  RIVER  FRONT 


Possible  Municipal  Ownership  of  a  Railway  from 
Chain   of   Rocks  to   River  des   Peres, 
with  Additional  Approach  to 
Municipal  Bridge 


REPORT  OF  THE 

City   Plan   Commission 


APRIL,    1913 


••  • 


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.1{1Ni(!:lP•^L/i 


tOS  ANGELES  PUBLIC  LIBKAHt 


•  •  •  <"   • 

•  •  •      • 


CITY   PLAN    COMMISSION 
OF  ST.  LOUIS 


MEMBERS  EX-OFFICIO 

Sam  Lazarus, 
President  City  Council 

A.  Gazzolo, 
Speaker  House  of  Delegates 

E.    R.    KiNSEY, 

President  Board  of  Public  Improvements 

Charles  M.  Talbert, 
Street  Commissioner 

D  WIGHT  F.  Davis, 
Park  Commissioner 

James  N.  McKelvey, 
Building  Commissioner 


MEMBERS  APPOINTED  BY  MAYOR 


John  H.  Gundlach 
George  E.  Kessler 
Hugo  A.  Koehler 


Colin  M.  Selph 
Charles  A.  Stix 
James  C.  Tra villa 


Cyrus  P.  Walbridge 
Harry  B.  Wallace 
Thomas  C.  Young 


Walter  B.  Stevens, 

Secretary 


—  2  — 


3E 


NA 

3)  V| 

SiSi 


2574- 


AN  ORDINANCE  CREATING  A  CITY  PLAN 

COMMISSION,    DEFINING  THE 

DUTIES  THEREOF 

Be  it  ordained  I)y  the  ^Municipal  Assembly  of  the  City  of  St. 
Louis,  as  follows : 

Section  One.  There  is  hereby  created  a  Commission  to  be  known 
as  the  City  Plan  Commission,  which  shall  consist  of  fifteen  members. 

Section  Two.  The  President  of  the  City  Council  ex-officio,  the 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Delegates  ex-oflficio,  the  President  of  the 
Board  of  Public  Improvements  ex-officio,  the  Street  Commissioner 
ex-officio,  the  Park  Commissioner  ex-officio,  and  the  Commissioner  of 
Public  Buildings  ex-officio  shall  be  members  of  said  Commission.  The 
other  nine  members  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor  and  all  members 
of  said  Comnussion  shall  serve  without  compensation.  Five  of  said 
nine  members  to  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor  shall  be  appointed  for 
four  years  and  the  remaining  four  members  shall  be  appointed  for 
two  years.  All  of  said  members  so  appointed  shall  hold  their  re- 
spective office  until  their  successors  shall  be  duly  appointed  and  (juali- 
fied. 

Section  Three.  The  (lualifications  of  the  members  so  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor  shall  be  as  provided  in  Section  Ten  of  Article 
Four  of  the  Charter  of  the  City  of  St.  Louis. 

Section  Foui-.    The  duties  of  the  City  i'lan  Commission  sliall  be: 

First.  To  prepare  a  comprehensive  city  plan  for  the  future  im- 
provoment,  as  well  as  for  the  coiniiK'rcial  (Icvcloptncul  of  the  city,  iii- 
cludiug  recommendations  for: 

(h)    Improvement  of  the  river  front; 

(b)  PLxtcnsion  of  streets  and  tlic  supervision  of  liic  opening  of 
sub-divisions; 

—  3  — 


218506 


Report  of  City  Plan  Commission 


(c)  Improvement  of  surroundings  of  Union  Station; 

(d)  A  system  of  widening  and  opening  various  through  streets 
so  as  to  make  the  city  more  cohesive  and  less  disjointed ; 

(e)  Control  of  nuisances ; 

(f)  A  playground,  park  and  boulevard  system; 

(g)  Location  of  public  buildings; 

(h)  Encouraging  the  location  of  manufacturing  establishments 
in  designated  districts; 

(i)   Extension  of  conduit  district  for  v^^ires; 

(j)  Extension  of  granitoid  sidewalk  districts,  and  for  the  regu- 
lation of  same  in  the  residence  districts  so  as  to  provide  for  the  plant- 
ing of  trees  and  for  sufficient  soil  space  to  assure  their  growth ; 

(k)  Such  other  improvements  as  will  tend  to  make  St.  Louis  a 
greater  and  more  beautiful  city. 

Second.  To  suggest  the  state  and  municipal  legislation  neces- 
sary to  carry  out  the  recommendations  of  the  Commission. 

Section  Five.  The  Commission  shall  make  all  rules  for  its  guid- 
ance and  procedure. 

Section  Six.  The  Commission  shall  submit  a  report  to  the  Mu- 
nicipal Assembly  as  comprehensive  as  may  be,  on  or  before  January 
first,  nineteen  hundred  and  twelve,  and  shall  make  such  other  reports 
as  the  Commission  may  deem  advisable. 

Approved  March  27,  1911. 


—  4  — 


The  River  Front 


THE  Rl\  KR  FRONT  OF  ST.  LOUIS 


REPORT  OF  THE  CITY  PLAN  COMMISSION,  APRIL  7,  1913, 

Showing  Possible  Municipal-Owned  or  Controlled  Railway  from 

Chain  of  Rocks  to  River  des  Peres,  w^th  Additional 

Approach  to  the  Municipal  Bridge. 

To  the  Honorable  Municipal  Assemhly  of  ilie  City  of  St.  Louis — 
Gentlemen : 

Several  railroad  franchises  under  which  tracks  were  laid  and  are 
now  in  use  on  the  river  front  of  St.  Louis  will  expire  in  1914  and  1915. 

The  ordinance  creating  the  City  Plan  Commission  specifically 
designates  "Improvement  of  the  River  Front"  as  one  of  the  subjects 
to  be  considered.  Plans  "for  the  Commercial  Development  of  the 
City"  are  included  in  the  duties  assigned  to  this  body. 

The  Commission  has  given  several  months  to  a  study  of  river 
front  conditions.  Early  in  the  consideration  of  a  possible  park  for 
that  section  it  became  apparent  that  transportation  problems  must  be 
taken  into  account.  That  existing  railroad  tracks  have  intimate  bear- 
ing on  any  improvement  of  the  levee  district  was  also  evident.  The 
investigation  carried  on  by  the  Commission  led  to  examination  of  ordi- 
nances under  which  railroads  now  occupy  that  part  of  the  city.  The 
prospective  usefulness  of  the  nuniicipal  bridge  also  claimed  attention. 

Possible  Municipal  Ownership. 

The  Commis.sion  deems  it  proper  to  lay  before  the  JMuiiieipal  As- 
sembly a  report  on  conditions.  Within  the  coming  eigliteen  months 
the  city  will  be  coiifroiitcfl  with  new  (|U('stioiis  of  public  policy  towanl 
the  steam  i-ailroads.  lOxpiriiig  franchises  present  iinj)ortant  trans- 
[)ortation  j)Os.sibiliti«'S.  'i'hey  o|)en  the  way  to  municipal  ownership  of 
a  railroad  from  a  jioinl  considerably  south  of  the  municipal  bridge 
along  the  levee  and  the  river  front   to  I  he  ('liain  of  Hocks,     'i'iie  city 

—  6  — 


Report  of  City  Plan  Commission 


already  owns  a  railroad  covering  the  northern  section  of  this  route, 
extending  from  Bissell's  Point  to  the  Chain  of  Rocks  and  traversing 
a  district  especially  adapted  to  industrial  development.  Not  only  is  it 
possible  for  the  city  to  own  a  river  front  railroad  southward  from 
Bissell's  Point,  but  the  acquisition  can  be  effected  at  comparatively 
small  cost.  The  Commission  does  not  make  recommendation  but  sug- 
gests that  the  expiring  franchises  present  this  possibility  for  serious 
consideration  by  the  city  in  the  immediate  future. 

The  importance  of  the  situation  in  respect  to  river  front  tracks 
will  be  vastly  increased  upon  the  completion  of  the  municipal  bridge. 
With  the  building  of  the  western  approach  the  city  will  own  a  rail- 
road extending  out  Gratiot  street  to  Twenty-third  street.  Connection 
between  the  bridge  and  river  front  tracks  owned  by  the  city  is  shown 
by  the  engineer  of  the  Commission  to  be  practicable  from  a  construc- 
tion point  of  view  and  not  prohibitive  in  cost. 


The  New  Harbor  Line. 

The  franchises  about  to  expire  apply  to  tracks,  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  which  is  Arsenal  street.  If  the  city  shall  decide  to  adopt 
the  policy  of  a  municipal-owned  railroad  along  the  river  front,  con- 
necting with  the  municipal  bridge,  there  will  be  presented  the  ques- 
tion of  extension  southward  from  Arsenal  street  to  reach  an  indus- 
trial district  adjacent  to  the  River  des  Peres.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
engineer,  such  an  extension  is  practicable.  The  harbor  line  of  St. 
Louis  as  established  in  1903  permits  a  material  extension  of  the  river 
front.  The  city  can  expand  eastward  into  shallow  water  and  increase 
the  river  front  to  the  extent  necessary  for  railroad  tracks.  Along  the 
Illinois  front  opposite  St.  Louis  is  being  constructed  a  concrete  wall, 
the  crest  of  which  is  above  high  water.  As  to  the  probable  effect  of 
this  wall  on  the  river  stage  along  the  St.  Louis  front  engineers  differ 
widely.  It  may  be  found  in  time  expedient  for  St.  Louis  to  build  a 
concrete  wall  along  its  front.  If  this  is  done  advantage  may  be  taken 
of  the  new  harbor  line  and  a  large  area  may  be  added  to  the  city's 
frontage. 

Accompanying  this  report  is  a  map  of  the  river  front  of  St. 
Louis,  showing  the  possibility  of  a  municipal-owned  or  controlled  rail- 
way from  Chain  of  Rocks  to  the  River  des  Peres,  with  an  additional 
approach  to  the  municipal  bridge,  prepared  for  the  City  Plan  Com- 
mission by  Baxter  L.  Brown,  consulting  engineer. 


The  River  Front 


What  the  Map  Shows. 

(a)  Existing  municipal  railway  from  Chain  of  Rocks  southward 
to  the  Bissell's  Point  waterworks.    (Marked  by  solid  red  line.) 

(b)  Municipal  railway  southward  from  Bissell's  Point  made  pos- 
sible by  expiring  franchises.    (]\ Larked  by  solid  blue  line.) 

(c)  Additional  approach  to  the  municipal  bridge  from  the  south 
and  connecting  with  municipal  railway  made  possible  by  expiring 
franchises.    (Marked  by  dotted  red  line.) 

(d)  Municipal  railwaj'  extension  southward  to  River  des  Peres 
from  suggested  southern  approach  to  municipal  bridge,  made  possible 
by  harbor  line  established  in  1903.    (i\Iarked  by  dotted  red  line.) 

(e)  Railroad  terminal  and  manufacturing  territory  accessible  to 
possible  municipal  railway  along  river  front  and  to  western  municipal 
bridge  approach.    (Marked  in  yellow.) 

(f)  Western  municipal  bridge  approach  along  Gratiot  street. 
(Marked  by  solid  red  line.) 

(g)  Parks.   (Marked  in  green.) 

Under  ordinances  12975,  13452  and  13497,  the  St.  Louis  Transfer 
Railway  was  granted  the  right  to  construct  and  operate  a  single  and 
double  track  railway  from  connection  with  the  Iron  ^Mountain  Rail- 
way at  Arsenal  street  to  connection  with  the  tracks  of  tlie  Waterworks 
Railway  at  Bissell's  Point,  excepting  between  Valentine  street  and 
Morgan  street  on  the  wharf,  where  right  was  given  to  use  the  tracks 
of  the  Iron  ^Mountain.  This  franchise  as  granted  by  ordinance  12975 
expires  June  11,  1914.  subject  to  an  extension  covered  by  ordinance 
l:J452,  which  ends  December  15,  1915. 


The  City  Can  Own  the  Tracks. 

Tlic  consulliiig  engineer.  iVoiii  an  exaiiiiiiat  imi  (if  all  orilinances 
bearing  upon  ihe  various  i-ailroad  IVaiieliises  and  rit,dils  between  Carr 
street  and  ('liouleau  a\eniie,  expresses  the  opinion:  "It  would  be  no 
trouble  to  arrange  for  joint  use  of  traeks  in  that  vicinity,  or,  Iteitei- 
Htili,  tlu'  city  can  own  Ihe  tiaeks  and  lease  them  to  the  various  road.s 

—  7  — 


Eeport  of  City  Plan  Commission 


on  the  trackage  principle.  Below  Chouteau  avenue  there  is  either 
room  for  the  tracks,  or  it  can  be  secured  by  moving  the  harbor  line 
to  the  east  sufficiently  to  provide  room.  As  to  the  moving  of  the  har- 
bor line  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  little  trouble  would  be 
encountered  south  of  the  Pittsburg  Dike. ' ' 

The  engineer  also  shows  from  the  harbor  and  wharf  lines  estab- 
lished by  the  War  Department  in  1903  that  the  city  may  acquire,  "A 
material  extension  to  the  east  of  the  line  to  which  permanent  struc- 
tures may  be  extended.  At  North  Market  street,  for  example,  where 
the  width  of  the  present  wharf  is  400  feet,  the  new  harbor  line  per- 
mits an  extension  of  370  feet  to  the  east,  which  will  ultimately  make 
the  width  of  the  city  wharf  at  that  point  770  feet.  A  sandbar  just 
inside  the  new  harbor  line  indicates  that  the  filling  in  and  extension 
of  the  wharf  in  that  neighborhood  can  be  easily  accomplished. 

''At  the  foot  of  "Washington  avenue  the  wharf  can  be  extended 
50  to  60  feet  east  of  the  foot  of  the  present  paving,  making  the  width 
in  that  neighborhood  about  265  feet.  Even  allowing  for  a  considerable 
increase  in  the  river  traffic,  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  total  wharf 
frontage  is  needed  for  boat  landings ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  ferry 
landings,  practically  all  of  the  boat  wharfage  is,  and  probably  will  be, 
south  of  the  Eads  Bridge.  The  use  of  considerable  parts  of  the  wharf 
has  been  granted  to  the  Burlington,  St.  Louis  Transfer,  Merchants 
Terminal,  "Wabash  and  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  but  there  are  large 
stretches  of  which  practically  no  use  is  made  at  the  present  time. ' ' 


City  Planning  Served. 

A  municipal-owned  or  controlled  railway  along  the  river  front,  as 
indicated  on  the  accompanying  map,  will  serve  two  important  pur- 
poses in  city  planning.  The  reports  made  by  the  engineer  emphasize 
the  fact  that  the  double  track  extension  of  the  municipal  bridge  ap- 
proach out  Gratiot  street  to  Twenty-third  (marked  by  solid  red  line) 
"makes  no  provision  for  yards  or  other  terminal  accommodations." 
The  engineer  says,  "  It  is  a  self-evident  proposition,  on  account  of  the 
large  territory  covered  by  the  industries  of  St.  Louis,  that  no  one 
location  of  terminals  for  the  accommodation  of  business  over  the  mu- 
nicipal bridge  will  suffice,  but  that  a  number  of  such  terminals  must 
be  provided  in  different  sections  of  the  city,  if  the  benefits  expected  to 
be  derived  from  the  construction  of  the  bridge  are  to  be  obtained. 
That  the  Terminal  Railroad  Association  has  about  fifteen  such  sets  of 


The  River  Front 


team  tracks  aud  teriniuals  for  the  general  use  of  the  public  aud  is 
badly  in  need  of  as  mauy  more,  or  the  doubling  of  the  capacity  of 
those  now  in  use,  even  after  being  supplemented  with  the  large  invest- 
ments made  in  the  last  few  years  by  individual  railroads  for  local 
freight  houses  and  team  tracks,  illustrates  this  point  with  a  case  right 
at  home  and  one  with  which  you  are  all  familiar. 

"Furthermore,  it  is  important  tiiat  these  terminals  should  be  pro- 
vided for  the  use  of  all  railroads  desiring  to  use  them  instead  of  allow- 
ing them  to  be  constructed  by  the  various  railroads  for  their  exclu- 
sive use." 


River  Front  Terminals. 

The  increase  of  river  front  propert.y  would  afford  room  for  track- 
age and  terminals,  which  could  be  permitted  under  leases  very  profit- 
ably to  the  city.  Furthermore,  a  municipal-ov.'ned  railroad  along  Hie 
river  front  would  open  for  industrial  development  two  great  districts, 
one  in  the  northern  suburbs  above  Grand  avenue  and  one  in  the  south 
along  the  River  des  Peres,  for  industrial  development.  (Marked  in 
yellow  on  the  map.)  It  appears  to  be  entirely  practicable  tiiat  within 
the  coming  two  years  the  city  may  adopt  a  policy  which,  at  moderate 
expenditure,  will  give  it  ownership  or  control  of  extensive  terminals 
along  the  river  front  and  which  will  encourage  the  location  of  manu- 
facturing industries  in  the  northern  and  southern  suburbs. 

Study  of  the  map  of  St.  Louis  and  vicinity  will  show,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Commission,  that  the  city  has  two  logical  industrial  dis- 
tricts at  present  almost  wholly  undeveloped;  one  of  these  is  north  of 
Bi.sseH's  Point,  the  other  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  River 
des  Peres.  Hoth  of  these  districts  are  adjacent  to  the  river.  Both  of 
tliem  would  have  inlet  and  outlet  by  way  of  the  municipal  bridge  with 
a  municipal-owned  or  controlled  railway  along  the  river  front  as  indi- 
eatcil  l)y  tlie  foregoing  report.  The  development  of  both  of  these  logical 
industrial  districts  coubi  br  greatly  encouraged  by  favorable  switch- 
ing privileges  with  the  municipal  railway.  Tlic  districts  are  so  locatecl 
as  not  to  interfere  with  the  expansion  of  tiic  residential  districts,  a 
rehitionship  wliieh  must  receive  serious  consideration  in  the  near 
future.  I'h"'  ordinance  creating  the  Cci'v  Pi,\n'  ("o.mmi.'^.sion  dirccis 
that  this  body  shall  iriake  reeoniineiidations  for  "encouraging  the 
location  of  mainifai'lui-ing  establishments  in  designated  districts."     It 

—  9  — 


Report  of  City  Plan  Commission 


is  the  purpose  of  the  City  Plan  Commission  to  submit  to  the  Munici- 
pal Assembly  in  the  near  future  a  report  upon  industrial  districts. 


Respectfully, 


C.  P.  WALBRIDGE,  Chairman. 
MAXIME  REBER, 
C.  M.  TALBERT, 
DWIGHT  F.DAVIS, 
GEO.  E.  KESSLER, 
HUGO  A.  KOEHLER, 
COLIN  M.  SELPH, 
CHARLES  A.  STIX, 
JAMES  C.  TRAVILLA, 
HARRY  B.  WALLACE, 
THOMAS  C.YOUNG. 


WALTER  B.  STEVENS,  Secretary. 
April  7,1913. 


10  — 


TuE  River  Front 


REPORT  OF  THE  CONSULTING  ENGINEER  ON 
RIVER  FRONT  CONDITIONS  FAVORABLE 
TO  MINICIPAL  OWNERSFIIP  OR  CON- 
TROL OF  A  RAILROAD  FROM  CHAIN  OF 
ROCKS  TO  THE  RRT^R  DES  PERES 

To  the  City  Plan  Commission,  City  of  St.  Louis — Gentlemen: 

The  St.  Louis  Transfer  Railway  Company  ou-ns  and  operates  a 
continuous  line  of  railway  (part  double  track  and  part  single  track) 
from  a  connection  with  the  Iron  Mountain  Railway  at  Arsenal  street 
to  a  connection  with  the  tracks  of  the  St.  Louis  Waterworks  at  Bis- 
sell's  Point.  The  franchise  for  these  tracks,  excepting  that  part  be- 
tween Valentine  and  Morgan  streets,  is  covered  by  Ordinances  Nos. 
12975.  13452  and  13497,  and  expires  December  15,  1915.  The  fran- 
chise for  that  part  of  its  railway  between  Valentine  and  Carr  streets 
is  covered  by  Ordinance  No.  16034  and  expires  March  20,  1921,  and 
covers  the  eastern  track  on  the  wharf  between  those  two  points. 

Originally,  under  Ordinance  No.  12975,  the  St.  Louis  Transfer 
Railway  Company  was  given  the  right  to  operate  its  trains  between 
Almond  (now  Valentine)  street  and  Morgan  street  "along,  over  and 
upon  the  tracks  of  the  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and  Southern  Rail- 
road Company."  This  is  the  middle  of  the  three  tracks  on  the  wharf 
between  Valentine  and  Morgan  streets  and  is  covered  by  Ordiiumce 
No.  10822  and  stipulates  that  the  City  of  St.  Louis  nuiy  grant  1o 
other  railroad  companies  the  right  to  use  said  tracks  on  payment  of 
just  charges  determined  by  the  Municipal  Assembly." 

Terminals  Needed. 

The  pi'csi'iit  phuis  (if  Ihe  city  provide  foi-  llif  construction  of  a 
double  1i-ack  extension  of  the  lower  deck  .approach  of  the  iininicipal 
bridge  up  Gratiot  street  lo  Twenty  tliird  street,  but  make  no  ])r()- 
vision  foi-  yards  or  other  terminal  acconuiiodalions. 

Suitable  i)rovisi()n  for  j)lacing  of  cars  for  the  loading  and  unload- 
ing of  freight,  as  well  a.s  for  the  switching  of  them,  is  just  as  iiii- 
I)ortant  to  the  success  of  the  bridge,  as  a  highway  for  the  moveiuent 
of  freight,  as  the  construction  of  the  bridge  itself,  and  without  such 
provision  the  henelil   to  lie  (|ei-i\c(|  liy  the  city  from   its  construction 

—  11  — 


Report  of  City  Plan  Commission 


will  be  comparatively  small.  Connections  can  readily  be  made  with 
the  tracks  of  the  Terminal  Railroad  Association  and  the  Missouri 
Pacific  Railway  in  the  Mill  Creek  Valley  and  the  cars  sent  to  their 
various  team  tracks,  but  if  this  is  done  the  advantages  expected  to  be 
gained  by  the  use  of  the  municipal  bridge  will  be  largely  lost  through 
the  switching  charges.  Furthermore,  the  Terminal  Railroad  Associa- 
tion has  not  nearly  enough  team  tracks  and  switching  facilities  to 
properly  handle  its  own  business  at  present  and  any  additional  busi- 
ness would  simply  congest  them  the  more. 

It  is  a  self-evident  proposition,  on  account  of  the  large  territory 
covered  by  the  industries  of  St.  Louis,  that  no  one  location  of  termi- 
nals for  the  accommodation  of  business  over  the  municipal  bridge 
will  suffice,  l)ut  that  a  number  of  such  terminals  must  be  provided  in 
different  sections  of  the  city,  if  the  benefits  expected  to  be  derived 
from  the  construction  of  the  bridge  are  to  be  obtained.  That  the 
Terminal  Railroad  Association  has  about  fifteen  such  sets  of  team 
tracks  and  terminals  for  the  general  use  of  the  public  and  is  badly  in 
need  of  as  many  more,  or  the  doubling  of  the  capacity  of  those  now 
in.  use,  even  after  being  supplemented  with  the  large  investments 
made  in  the  last  few  years  by  individual  railroads  for  local  freight 
houses  and  team  tracks,  illustrates  this  point  with  a  case  right  at 
home  and  one  with  which  you  are  all  familiar. 

Furthermore,  it  is  important  that  these  terminals  should  be  pro- 
vided for  the  use  of  all  railroads  desiring  to  use  them,  instead  of 
allowing  them  to  be  constructed  by  the  various  railroads  for  their 
exclusive  use. 

It  is  within  reason  to  expect  that  one,  and  possibly  two,  ad- 
vantageous locations  for  team  tracks  and  warehouses  with  a  suitable 
storage  yard  can  be  found  along  Gratiot  street  and  thereby  serve  an 
extensive  area  already  devoted  to  industries,  and  also  tend  to  make 
more  available  for  industrial  development  a  section  of  the  city  that 
has  ceased  to  be  desirable  for  residence  purposes. 

Strategic  Value  of  Waterworks  Track. 

The  track  owned  by  the  city  and  operated  by  the  Waterworks 
Department,  although  capable  of  being  made  the  foundation  of  a 
valuable  railroad  property,  is  virtually  idle.  Few  persons  seem  to 
realize  its  strategic  value.  Between  Bissell's  Point  and  Chain  of 
Rocks  the  track  traverses  a  territory  of  about  one  thousand  acres  that 
is  practically  undeveloped,  although  well  adapted  to  manufacturing 
industries  and  not  desirable  for  residence  purposes. 

—  12  — 


The  Kr-er  Front 


By  the  eoustmetion  of  an  approach  on  the  south  to  tlie  luunicipal 
bridge  connection  can  be  made  with  the  tracks  of  the  St.  Louis  Trans- 
fer Railway  above  referred  to,  as  well  as  with  those  of  tiie  St.  Louis, 
Iron  Mountain  and  Southern  and  the  jMauufacturers'  Railways,  and 
a  line  can  be  secured  to  Chain  of  Rocks  for  use  of  all  roads  desiring 
to  use  it. 

There  is  also  the  possibility  of  making  connection  through  these 
tracks  with  the  ^lerchants  Bridge  tracks  and  using  these  under  a 
trackage  agreement. 

At  first  thought  it  is  natural  to  assume  that  the  Terminal  Rail- 
road Association  would  stubbornly  oppose  a  proposition  of  this  kind, 
but  on  account  of  the  wise  provisions  made  in  the  ordinances  granted 
to  the  St.  Louis  Merchants  Bridge  Terminal  Railway  Company,  it 
cannot  make  any  serious  objection. 

Ordinance  No.  14078  is  the  original  ordinance  authorizing  the 
construction  of  the  St.  Louis  i\Ierchants  Terminal  Railway,  and  sec- 
tion 8  provides  that  any  railway  company  may  operate  trains  over 
these  tracks  upon  payment  of  reasonable  compensation,  and  provides 
for  the  determination  of  such  compensation. 

Ordinance  No.  15376  amends  Ordinance  No.  14078  in  certain  de- 
tails, and  section  12  reads  as  follows: 

"The  grants,  rights  and  privileges  conferred  by  this 
ordinance  are  subject  to  all  the  provisions,  restrictions  and 
conditions  contained  in  Ordinance  number  14078,  of  which 
it  is  amendatory  and  any  and  all  tracks  laid  or  constructed 
under  authority  of  this  ordinance  shall  be  subject  to  the 
right  of  all  other  companies  or  corporations  to  occupy  and 
use  the  same  as  provided  and  set  forth  in  section  9  of  said 
original  Ordinance  number  14078  upon  compensation  to  be 
fixed  in  accordance  willi  the  provisions  of  said  section  nine." 

As  that  portion  of  the  i\Ierchants  Bridge  tracks  that  could  be 
used  is  largely  in  city  streets  and  the  cost  of  const rud ion  not  high, 
the  valuation  upon  which  the  rental  woidd  be  based  should  not  hi; 
prohibitive  and  could  be,  if  thought  tlesirable,  largely  olTset  by  grant- 
ing tliat  coinpany  trackage  rights  over  the  Waterworks  track  An 
objection  1(»  liiis  proposition  that  can  |)erhaps  be  consistently  raised  is 
the  i)roI)able  heavy  traffic  tli.it  would  eventually  occur  hy  the  joint 
use  of  these  tracks,  thereby  interfering  with  tiirough  train  nioveiiieut. 

—  13  — 


Report  of  City  Plan  Commission 


Possibilities  of  River  Front  Development. 

The  adoption  of  this  plan  would  allow  a  development  of  the 
wharf,  as  it  would  provide  opportunities  for  necessary  locations  for 
team  tracks  and  freight  houses  sufficient  to  serve  a  very  extensive 
section  of  the  city,  and  would  make  possible  a  competition  with  the 
Terminal  Railroad  Association  that  would  be  felt.  That  the  joint 
operation  of  tracks  is  thoroughly  practical  is  evidenced  by  innumer- 
able cases  existing  all  over  the  country. 

The  city  owns,  mostly  in  fee,  about  six  miles  of  the  wharf,  its 
holdings,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  stretch  just  north  of  Biddle 
street  and  a  few  short  sections  between  Dock  and  Ferry  streets,  ex- 
tending from  Grand  avenue  on  the  north  to  Dorcas  street  on  the 
south.  The  recent  establishment  by  the  United  States  Government  of 
the  present  harbor  line  permits  a  material  extension  to  the  east  of 
the  line  to  which  permanent  structures  may  be  extended.  At  North 
Market  street,  for  example,  where  the  width  of  the  present  wharf  is 
400  feet,  the  new  harbor  line  permits  an  extension  of  370  feet  to  the 
east,  which  will  ultimately  make  the  width  of  the  city  wharf  at  that 
point  770  feet.  A  sandbar  just  inside  the  new  harbor  line  indicates 
that  the  filling  in  and  extension  of  the  wharf  in  that  neighborhood 
can  be  easily  accomplished. 

At  the  foot  of  Washington  avenue  the  wharf  can  be  extended  50 
to  60  feet  east  of  the  foot  of  the  present  paving,  making  the  width  in 
that  neighborhood  about  265  feet.  Even  allowing  for  a  considerable 
increase  in  the  river  traffic,  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  total  wharf 
frontage  is  needed  for  boat  landings;  and,  with  the  exception  of 
ferry  landings,  practically  all  of  the  boat  wharfage  is,  and  probably 
will  be,  south  of  the  Eads  Bridge.  The  use  of  considerable  parts  of 
the  wharf  has  been  granted  the  Burlington,  St.  Louis  Transfer,  Mer- 
chants Terminal,  Wabash  and  Missouri  Pacific  railroads,  but  there 
are  large  stretches  of  which  practically  no  use  is  made  at  the  present 
time. 

Should  this  plan  be  adopted,  it  would  mean  that  the  city  could 
and  probably  would,  eventually  control  a  line  of  railway  extending 
from  Chain  of  Rocks  to  River  des  Peres.  With  the  ordinances  grant- 
ing various  railroads  rights  along  the  wharf  from  Carr  street  to 
Chouteau  avenue  expiring  in  the  near  future,  there  should  be  no 
trouble  to  arrange  for  joint  use  of  tracks  in  that  vicinity,  or,  bet- 
ter still,  the  city  can  own  the  tracks  and  lease  them  to  the  various 
roads  on  the  trackage  principle.     Below  this  section  there  is  either 

—  14  — 


The  River  Front 


room  for  the  tracks,  or  it  can  be  secured  by  moving  the  harbor  line 
to  the  east  sufficiently  to  provide  room.  As  to  the  moving  of  the  har- 
bor line  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  little  trouble  would  be 
encountered  south  of  the  Pittsburg  Dike. 

A  Bridge  Approach  from  the  South. 

The  Manufacturers'  Railway,  as  is  well  known,  is  desirous  of  a 
connection  with  the  municipal  ])ridge,  and  has  made  several  attempts 
to  arrange  with  the  city  for  its  construction.  It  has  excellent  terminal 
facilities  already  developed  and  is  anxiously  awaiting  a  proper  outlet 
for  a  material  increase  of  development. 

The  location  proposed  by  the  Manufacturers'  Railway  in  Kosci- 
usko street,  while  fitting  its  conditions  well  enough,  lands  the  ap- 
proach in  such  a  way  that  it  would  be  so  difficult  and  expensive  to 
reach  the  wharf  as  to  be  almost  impossible. 

However,  an  approach  can  be  so  located  that  it  can  reach  the 
wharf  and  at  the  same  time  not  only  serve  the  Manufacturers'  Rail- 
way, but  also  the  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and  Southern  Railway, 
the  St.  Louis  Transfer  Railway,  and  the  proposed  city  tracks. 

If  the  Manufacturers'  Railway  would  agree  to  build  on  this 
route  with  a  provision  that  the  city  might  purchase  the  approach  at 
any  future  time,  it  would  remove  the  necessity  of  the  city  providing 
additional  funds  for  construction  purposes  on  the  west  side  for  some 
time  to  come. 

BAXTER  L.  BROWN, 

St.  Louis,  April  7,  1913.  Consulting  Engineer. 


—  15  — 

2J850{> 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stamped  below 


feo  lO-URL 

FEB  0  6  1990 


NA 
9,127 

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City  plan 


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